Friday, April 16, 2010

First concrete for second Taishan reactor
from World Nuclear News by Jeremy Gordon

Taishan 2 April 2010 (CGNPC)The first concrete has been poured at the Taishan nuclear power plant in Guangdong province, China, marking the official start of construction for the site's second EPR unit.
http://www.world-nuclear-news.org/NN-First_concrete_for_second_Taishan_reactor-1604105.html

Official: U.S., France prepared to help Pakistan in nuclear energy
The U.S. and France are willing to supply civil nuclear technology to Pakistan, Pakistan Foreign Office representative Abdul Basit said. He also said Pakistan is prepared to work with other countries on nuclear energy while following International Atomic Energy Agency safeguards. DAWN Media Group (Pakistan)

The successful completion of the test loop program begun last summer was announced this week by Silex Systems, the Australian company that owns the laser enrichment technology.

On Wednesday, GE Hitachi chief executive Jack Fuller told a nuclear security conference in Washington that Global Laser “has successfully completed early testing, in accordance with (federal) requirements. At the same time, we are just beginning Phase 2, where we will design the first commercial production facility.”

Fuller went on to discuss the safeguarding of the Global Laser Enrichment technology acquired from Silex in May 2006, pointing out the effort was based on a previous agreement between the U.S. and Australian governments to safeguard this process.

He called GE “a natural fit to develop this technology” based on its half century of providing nuclear technology, including its safe and secure operation of fuel fabrication facilities since the 1950s, first in San Jose, Calif., then in Castle Hayne. The laser enrichment test loop was built here with permission of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

“During this time, we have worked very closely with the NRC to ensure compliance with the security protocols that apply to all sensitive nuclear technology in the United States,” Fuller said.

In October 2006, he noted, the U.S. Department of Energy formally approved GE’s acquisition of the technology and its transfer to the company’s facilities near Wilmington.

The successful completion of the test loop program begun last summer was announced this week by Silex Systems, the Australian company that owns the laser enrichment technology.

On Wednesday, GE Hitachi chief executive Jack Fuller told a nuclear security conference in Washington that Global Laser “has successfully completed early testing, in accordance with (federal) requirements. At the same time, we are just beginning Phase 2, where we will design the first commercial production facility.”

Fuller went on to discuss the safeguarding of the Global Laser Enrichment technology acquired from Silex in May 2006, pointing out the effort was based on a previous agreement between the U.S. and Australian governments to safeguard this process.

He called GE “a natural fit to develop this technology” based on its half century of providing nuclear technology, including its safe and secure operation of fuel fabrication facilities since the 1950s, first in San Jose, Calif., then in Castle Hayne. The laser enrichment test loop was built here with permission of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

“During this time, we have worked very closely with the NRC to ensure compliance with the security protocols that apply to all sensitive nuclear technology in the United States,” Fuller said.

In October 2006, he noted, the U.S. Department of Energy formally approved GE’s acquisition of the technology and its transfer to the company’s facilities near Wilmington.

This approval triggered a GE payment to Silex of $15 million, following the $5 million paid when the agreement was reached with Silex.

Since then, Hitachi and Cameco have purchased stakes in Global Laser Enrichment of 25 percent and 24 percent, respectively, leaving GE with a 51 percent stake.

With the successful completion of early testing, Global Laser has met the first of two requirements for the next progress payment to Silex. The other step needed to trigger the $15 million payment is the issuance of a commercial facility license, which the NRC is expected to do in mid-2012.

After receiving that license, Global Laser “will initiate the commercial deployment” of a production facility at Castle Hayne, Fuller said.

Thursday, April 15, 2010

Why China Will Not Help In Levying Sanctions Against Iran And Other Countriesfrom War News Updates by Bookyards

Chinese President Hu Jintao (L) meets with U.S. President Barack Obama in Washington April 12, 2010. President Hu Jintao arrived in Washington on Monday to attend the Nuclear Security Summit slated for April 12-13. (Xinhua/Li Xueren)

Unchecked proliferation by Chinese firms has undermined a global effort to keep nuclear and missile technology out of the hands of terrorists.

The transfer of such technology to countries such as Pakistan and Iran, which are considered vulnerable to an attack by terrorists or rogue insiders, is the cause of much anxiety in the international community. Kicking off the Nuclear Security Summit in Washington this week, President Obama described nuclear terrorism as the "single biggest threat to U.S. security."

Read more ....

My Comment: Bottom line .... it is all about the money and international alliances. But what makes this entire episode in international relations frustrating, is that much of the technology that China has acquired over the years has come from us, and it is this tech that is now being transferred to countries like Iran, Pakistan, and others.

I know that President Obama feels confident that China will help in imposing and enforcing sanctions against Iran .... but as the Washington Times article clearly points out, China's business relationship with Iran operates on numerous and divergent levels, and the monies involved are huge.

How huge is China's investment in Iran, the following EIN News Report summarizes it perfectly .....

If China were to fall in line and sanction Iran, it would mean a loss of 10 to 12% of its oil imports, the aborting of some $80 billion in development projects and the sacrifice of hundreds of billions of dollars worth of oil, which the Chinese have locked in futures contracts, DawnNews reports.

China has already made a decision on how to work with Iran, and they are putting their money on the line in developing future projects and trade. As to what the sanction sponsoring countries want .... the Chinese are only giving vague commitments and promises.
http://warnewsupdates.blogspot.com/2010/04/why-china-will-not-help-in-levying.html

Under the shadow of the West Virginia coal mine disaster earlier this month, a congressional hearing Wednesday on the future of coal in a “new energy age” seemed at times like a dialogue of the deaf.
Four representatives of the coal industry appeared before the House Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming in an atmosphere frosty enough to lower global temperatures itself.
Committee chairman Edward Markey (D-Mass) castigated the industry representatives for resisting measures to reduce carbon emissions and compared them to auto executives who ignored the need for change until it was too late.
Markey, who is co-author of a bill passed by the House to limit greenhouse gas emissions, urged the coal industry to get on board with the efforts to fight global warming.
“Today, with the future of the coal industry in your hands, I challenge you to join us in charting a new path forward to prevent a perilous outcome for your industry and for the planet,” Markey said in his opening remarks. “I ask that you cease efforts to deny the science of global warming and stop spending millions of dollars in misleading the public as to the true science behind climate change.”
Markey noted that the House bill offers billions of dollars in aid to help the industry develop clean coal technology.
Despite his pleas, Mike Carey, president of the Ohio Coal Association, accused Congress and regulators of conducting a “war on coal” by imposing tougher limits on carbon emissions. He criticized the Environmental Protection Agency’s “endangerment finding” about carbon dioxide emissions, which enable the regulator to take action without legislation.
“The Ohio Coal Association is challenging this endangerment finding in court, and we will win,” Carey said defiantly. “We believe that the science underpinning the endangerment finding is questionable.”
The industry wants Congress to forgo any further restrictions while it develops carbon capture and sequestration technology to reduce emissions from coal-fired electricity plants. However, they admit that commercial deployment of CCS, which is an untested technology, is a minimum of 15 to 20 years away.
Markey noted that coal’s share of electricity generation fell to 44% last year from 49%. New plants using wind or natural gas were started in 2009, but no new coal plants broke ground.
“While the rest of the energy world is already moving to a lower-carbon future, people wonder whether the coal industry is stuck in another time,” Markey said, warning them that the industry was headed for “an inexorable decline.”

Malaysia to Enforce Nuclear Trafficking Law: PM
Agence France-Presse
Malaysia has said it would strictly enforce a new law to curb trafficking of nuclear weapon components after being linked to illegal supply of sensitive technology to Iran and Libya.
Full Article

Iran Has Five Kilograms of Uranium Enriched to 20%
Agence France-Presse
Iran has so far produced five kilograms of 20 percent enriched uranium, atomic chief Ali Akbar Salehi said on Wednesday, in defiance of world powers who want Tehran to end the controversial nuclear work.
Full Article
http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5j0o7mxM8ozcvb5acjPVTS4srJwCg

Editor's Note: This article, which notes that the United States and South Korea are about to start renegotiating their nuclear cooperation agreement, does not discuss in any depth the issues that the two states will have to confront. See the related links below for two contrasting views on pyroprocessing in South Korea.
Full ArticleKorea, US to Tackle Nuclear Energy Pact Na Jeong-ju, The Korea Times

U.S., Russia Sign Deal to Cut Plutonium Stocks
Andrew Quinn and Steve Gutterman, Reuters
The United States and Russia on Tuesday signed a deal to dispose of tons of weapons-grade plutonium, a sign of increased cooperation between the two former Cold War foes toward their joint goal of nuclear non-proliferation.
Full Article
http://in.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idINIndia-47667620100413

President Obama persuaded 46 countries Tuesday to sign on to a plan to put the world's nuclear material beyond the reach of terrorists within four years, but the commitments are voluntary, and experts said reaching the goal will be difficult.

The governments attending Obama's Nuclear Security Summit agreed to take their own measures to safeguard nuclear material used in bombs, civilian nuclear reactors and power plants, and to strengthen international efforts. The gathering raised the profile of an issue long considered a sideshow in discussions of international security.
Full Article
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/conte...0041300427.html

U.S. National Statement on the Nuclear Security Summit http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/nuclear-security-summit-national-statement-united-states

U.S. Senate Hearing -- Iran Is 3 - 6 Years From A Deliverable Nuclear Weapon

Obama Administration Says Iran Still Three to Five Years From Usable Nuclear Weapon -- Defense Tech

A revealing exchange at today's Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on Iran's nuclear program that featured some of the Obama administration's defense policy heavy hitters. Things got interesting when director of military intelligence, Army Lt. Gen. Ronald Burgess, said Iran could produce enough highly enriched uranium for a nuclear bomb in one year.

Yesterday, on NBC's Meet the Press, Defense Secretary Robert Gates may have revealed the existence of a new weapon in America's arsenal, a conventionally-armed ICBM. It was thought development and deployment of conventionally tipped ICBMs was still years away; a prototype is scheduled for a test flight next month.

Responding to a question from NBC's David Gregory on the ability to deter nuclear armed rogue states, Gates said: "We have, in addition to the nuclear deterrent today, a couple of things we didn't have in the Soviet days… And we have prompt global strike affording us some conventional alternatives on long-range missiles that we didn't have before."

Russia's Rosatom plans to construct reactors in Argentina once a nuclear-cooperation deal is signed by both countries, company Director General Sergei Kiriyenko said. Rosatom will vie for a contract to build two 1,200-megawatt reactors, he said. Bloomberg BusinessWeek
http://www.businessweek.com/news/2010-04-1...a-update1-.html

Rosatom Corp., Russia's state-run nuclear holding company, may build nuclear reactors in Argentina after the two countries' governments sign a nuclear-energy cooperation agreement, Director General Sergei Kiriyenko said. Rosatom will compete for a contract to build two third- generation reactors, each with the capacity to generate 1,200 megawatts, Kiriyenko told reporters today in Buenos Aires. He declined to give an estimate for the project's cost, saying only that the minimum price for one reactor is $4.5 billion.

The Russian company is on schedule to complete Iran's first nuclear reactor in the southern city of Bushehr in August, Kiriyenko said. The reactor doesn't threaten non-proliferation of nuclear weapons and isn't subject to any sanctions, he said.

Korea, US to Tackle Nuclear Energy Pact
The U.S. and South Korea will start discussions on the amendment of a bilateral nuclear energy agreement ahead of its expiration in 2014, South Korean officials said. Under the pact, South Korea is required to seek U.S. permission for reprocessing used nuclear fuel -- a measure taken against its potential use for military reasons. South Korea has called for renegotiations because its used-fuel facilities are projected to reach capacity by 2016. The Korea Times
http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/natio.../116_64199.html

The White House should invest in recycling technology that could help address concerns regarding used nuclear fuel, GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy said. The proposal comes as the industry has generated enough used fuel in the country to stuff "a football field 30 feet high, end zone to end zone," CEO Jack Fuller said. "If you took and put up recycling centers, you would reduce all that waste to one end zone, 30 feet high." Bloomberg
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=206...id=a6TNv6ZjajGU

Dale Klein, a former Nuclear Regulatory Commission official, said the government should opt for the construction of a centralized interim storage site and advance recycling of used nuclear fuel. These proposals would bring the country more in compliance with global nuclear-industry standards, he said. Interim storage could resolve the country's used-fuel issues for as long as 100 years, he added. Reuters
http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSN141548...ype=marketsNews

As the United States works to expand its nuclear fleet for the first time in three decades and extend the life of current reactors, thorny questions remain to be answered about the life cycle of nuclear fuel, a former nuclear regulator said on Wednesday.

Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh announced the country will build a Global Center for Nuclear Energy Partnership, consisting of four schools dealing with nuclear energy issues. The "state-of-the-art facility" would also conduct studies of design systems that are "intrinsically safe, secure, proliferation-resistant and sustainable," he said during the Nuclear Security Summit in Washington, D.C. The Economic Times (India)
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/p...how/5799258.cms

Surplus oil production capacity could disappear by 2012 a report from US Joint Forces Command, says. Photograph: Katja Buchholz/Getty Images

US Military Warns Oil Output May Dip Causing Massive Shortages By 2015 -- The Guardian

• Shortfall could reach 10m barrels a day, report says
• Cost of crude oil is predicted to top $100 a barrel

The US military has warned that surplus oil production capacity could disappear within two years and there could be serious shortages by 2015 with a significant economic and political impact.

The energy crisis outlined in a Joint Operating Environment report from the US Joint Forces Command, comes as the price of petrol in Britain reaches record levels and the cost of crude is predicted to soon top $100 a barrel.

The White House has warned state and local governments not to expect a "significant federal response" at the scene of a terrorist nuclear attack for 24 to 72 hours after the blast, according to a planning guide.

President Obama told delegates from 47 nations at the Nuclear Security Summit on Tuesday that it would be a "catastrophe for the world" if al-Qaeda or another terrorist group got a nuclear device, because so many lives would be lost and it would be so hard to mitigate damage from the blast.

Read more .....

My Comment: After the experience of Hurricane Katrina, if one expects help from the Federal Government immediately after a disaster .... they are definitely delusional. After a nuclear blast, with radioactive dust floating around .... if Federal help arrives within a week I would call such a reaction a miracle.

A nuclear blast in a major city will result in fires, building collapses, thousands buried in the rubble, radioactivity spread over a large swath of territory, multiple burn victims, refugees on an unmanageable scale, and a complete breakdown in communications and transportation facilities. And this will happen if only a small nuclear weapon .... a Hiroshima sized weapon or smaller .... is used.

The White House's statement is overly optimistic .... realistically .... the first "real" help will only arrive in the second week, and only as a cleanup crew to dispose of the bodies and to evacuate the survivors. Posted by Bookyards

When Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu decided at the last moment to cancel his attendance at this week's 47-nation nuclear security summit in Washington, a great deal of speculation ensued about the bad blood between him and Barack Obama and about whether the United States president might allow the conference to turn into a forum for criticism of Israel's nuclear program.
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/LD15Ak04.html

Talk about terrorist threats was thin disguise for the call for sanctions on Iran, the real target of US President Barack Obama's 47-nation gabfest on nuclear security this week. And while there is no clarity on how much further the US will cut its formidable atomic arsenal, Obama's vision of a "completely nuclear-free world" is the stuff of dreams for the Pentagon and its growing strategic non-nuclear firepower. - Pepe Escobar (Apr 14, '10)
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/LD15Ak05.html

President Barack Obama managed to avoid Israel's nuclear program nearly entirely for the high profile nuclear summit, but was unable to successfully dodge a question at the closing press conference about Israel's non-membership in the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).

Though the bulk of Obama's talks dealt with securing the weapons grade nuclear stockpiles of such rogue nations as Canada and Chile, when pressed he eventually insisted that he wanted every nation, including Israel to sign the NPT. He also insisted that this position was nothing new.

Tuesday, April 13, 2010

Oil Security In The Middle East Has Cost The U.S. $7.3 Trillion Dollars Since 1976 Persian Gulf (Feb. 14, 2005) - Sailors assigned to the Air Department conduct final inspections on an F/A-18 Hornet prior to being launched off the flight deck of the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75). Carrier Air Wing Three (CVW-3) is embarked aboard Truman and is providing close air support and conducting intelligence surveillance and reconnaissance over Iraq. The Truman Carrier Strike Group is on a regularly scheduled deployment in support of the Global War on Terrorism. U.S. Navy photo by Photographer Mate Airman Ricardo Reyes

Study: Middle East Oil Security Cost U.S. $7.3T Over Last Three Decades -- USA Today

Think gas is pricey at the pump? Try your tax bill instead, with an economic analysis putting the U.S. military tab on keeping Middle Eastern crude coming at more than $225 billion a year over the last three decades.

Since 1980, when President Jimmy Carter decreed the "Carter Doctrine" of keeping Persian Gulf oil flowing to the world, subsequent administrations have pursued policies aimed at keeping the tankers coming, using U.S. military forces to provide security, notes Princeton's Roger Stern in a new Energy Policy journal analysis.

How to Build on the Start Treaty William J. Perry and George P. Shultz, The New York Times

This has been a remarkable time for the Obama administration. After a year of intense internal debate, it issued a new nuclear strategy. And after a year of intense negotiations with the Russians, President Obama signed the New Start treaty with President Dmitri Medvedev in Prague.
Full Article
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/11/opinion/...tml?ref=opinion

The Big Bang Treaty The Daily Show with Jon Stewart Editor's Note: This segment of the Daily Show with Jon Stewart provides an exceptionally trenchant, fair, and balanced analysis of the initial week's partisan media debate over the New START Treaty and the Nuclear Posture Review. There are serious issues to be debated, of course, and we look forward to providing analysis of this debate when it gets serious.
Full Article

A dispute over the recycling of nuclear fuel by reactor suppliers such as France's Areva SA surfaced in Washington as U.S. officials sought to skirt the issue during President Barack Obama's summit.
Full Article

Ukraine, Others to Dispose of Bomb-Grade Uranium Eli Lake, The Washington Times The first day of the 47-nation summit in Washington on securing vulnerable nuclear material brought pledges from Ukraine and other countries to begin disposing of bomb-grade uranium.

The pledge from the Ukraine to send 107 kilograms (almost 236 pounds) of highly enriched uranium and 56 kilograms (about 123 pounds) of spent fuel to Russia by the end of 2012 was hailed by the White House as a major accomplishment.
Fu

Energy Dept. seeks quick resolution to Yucca Mountain case
The Department of Energy has written an 11-page appeal to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, asking for a fast resolution on whether the agency can withdraw its application to make Nevada's Yucca Mountain a nuclear-waste repository. The commission's three-judge panel recently voted to postpone further hearings on the case. The U.S. District Court of Appeals has consolidated three lawsuits challenging the Energy Department's authority to retract its application without congressional approval. Las Vegas Review-Journal

President Obama and VP Joe Biden’s Nuclear Security Summit is underway -- already paralyzing DC traffic -- even though I do believe that this Summitry is a good contribution to global security and stability if not fun to deal with in town.

I have the lead ‘opinion piece’ this morning at Politico titled “Obama’s Nuclear Wizardry and the Iran Factor”.

The web version of the piece is here:
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0410/35691.html

But the very cool digital “print edition” can be accessed here. Just flip to Page 27:
http://tinyurl.com/ybpc3ut

And for those who want even more, I spoke with Keith Olbermann on MSNBC’s Countdown on the same subject of Obama’s nuclear diplomacy and why I think he has changed up his game and demonstrated the making of a strategically deft President who would be wise to apply some of the same approaches in the nuclear portfolio to other parts of the foreign policy roster — includling Israel/Palestine, Cuba, and more.

Monday, April 12, 2010

US-India deal clouds nuclear summit
Mounting opposition to a recent US agreement that allows India to reprocess nuclear fuel casts a shadow over this week's Nuclear Security Summit, with critics saying Washington has given New Delhi too many concessions. The row is unlikely to obscure the anti-terrorist focus, nor detract from the US mission to put pressure on Iran. - Peter J Brown (Apr 12, '10)

Ukraine could get $6B loan from Russia for nuclear reactors
Russia may loan up to $6 billion to help Ukraine finance the construction of two nuclear reactors at the Khmelnitsky Nuclear Power Station, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said. "We discussed cooperation on nuclear energy," Putin said after discussions with Ukraine Prime Minister Mykola Azarov. Reuters

France's Areva and Italy forge nuclear-cooperation deals
France's Areva forged a deal to work with Ansaldo Energia on an Enel-EDF venture to construct at least four reactors in Italy. This comes after the Italian government said it seeks to obtain 25% of its power from nuclear energy. Areva also agreed to work with the Techint Group on future nuclear projects worldwide. Reuters

By Philip BethgeMini reactors are a growing focus of the nuclear industry
The nuclear-power industry is pinning its hopes for a comeback on miniature, underground reactors, according to Der Spiegel. Supporters hope these compact plants can sidestep construction delays, regulatory roadblocks and financing problems that have plagued mammoth, gigawatt-capacity facilities. U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu said some of the $54 billion in loan guarantees pledged to the nuclear industry will be available to build these miniature reactors. Der Spiegel (Germany)

This Is The Reason Why Israeli PM Netanyahu Is Not Going To President Obama's Nuclear Summit
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan

'World Turns Blind Eye To Israeli Nukes' -- Jerusalem Post/AP

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Sunday said the world was turning a blind eye to Israel's nuclear program, adding that he intended to raise the issue at the nuclear summit in Washington.

Erdogan says Iran's nuclear program was being scrutinized because of its membership in the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) whereas Israel, which has not signed a nonproliferation treaty (NPT), was "free to do what it wants."

Speaking to reporters before his departure for Washington, Erdogan said, "We are disturbed by this and will say so."

Obama Prepares to Open Nuclear Summit, Meets World Leaders -- Voice of America

President Barack Obama on Monday will open an unprecedented summit of 47 nations focused on global action to secure nuclear materials and keep them out of the hands of terrorists. On Sunday, the president held the first of more than 10 bilateral meetings with foreign leaders coinciding with the summit, amid tight security here in Washington for the event.

Read more ....

Obama to open landmark nuclear summit -- Yahoo News/AFP

Obama Appeals to World Powers to Keep Nukes Out of Terrorist Hands -- FOX News